Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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BROWN, Charles

(b 13 Sep. '22, Texas City TX; d 24 Jan. '99, Oakland CA) Singer, pianist. Smooth blues stylist, much influnced by Nat Cole and very influential in his turn. From a middle-class family, he trained as a chemist, studied classical piano in his youth; went to L.A. '43 and won a talent show at the Lincoln Theatre playing 'Clair de Lune'. With Bardu Ali band, then Johnny Moore's Three Blazers '44, beginning his recording career with them on Aladdin, the first date including classic 'Driftin' Blues'. Brown went solo '48 and had a dozen top tens in the black chart '49-52. He toured in package shows, with Johnny Ace tour '54; records on various labels, no more hits until 'Please Come Home For Christmas' on King '61. He continued touring, played clubs reviving his best tunes including 'Trouble Blues' and 'Black Night'. Albums included Sunnyland (Route 66), Charles Brown (Blues Spectrum). He slid into obscurity because however smooth his barroom style, like that of his friend Amos Milburn it retained the values and concerns of the black community, stuck to the pattern of the blues and could not cross over, while the rock era promoted more raucous sounds. His long overdue comeback album One More For The Road '89 on Alligator saw him in fine form, followed by Boss Of The Blues on Mainstream; Bonnie Raitt invited him on tour '90 and All My Life '91 on Bullseye Blues/Rounder was nominated for a Grammy, with guests Mac Rebennack and Ruth Brown; then followed Legend! on Off-Beat, with Earl Hooker and Ed Thigpen, Someone To Love '92 with Raitt and Honey Dripper '96 on Gitanes/Verve, with Irene Reid, Etta Jones and Clifford Solomon on tenor sax. Brown's complete Aladdin output was reissued '94 on a seven-LP or five-CD Mosaic set, the 98 tracks a monument to an R&B classic.